Pretty Matchmakers, Inc. operates a match-making service over the internet at pm.com. Dale, a citizen of New Jersey, is the CEO of Dale, Inc., a competing internet matchmaking site. Dale decided to move his existing match-making site to pm.net. Pretty Matchmakers, Inc., filed a lawsuit in the federal district court for the Northern District of Illinois against Dale and Dale, Inc., alleging that they deliberately misappropriated Petty Matchmakers, Inc.'s, existing domain address with the intent to mislead customers in violation of a federal statute. That federal law, which prohibits the conduct allegedly performed by defendants Dale and his corporation, does not contain any provision expressly granting personal jurisdiction. Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint for the lack of personal jurisdiction, arguing that the only contact between them and the forum state was the fact that twenty residents of Illinois had registered their personal information on pm.net.

• • • How should the court rule?
    • Would it make a difference in your analysis if the defendants had heavily marketed their website in the Midwest through billboards and at local restaurants and bars?
    • Would it change the analysis if Dale had traveled to Illinois often to attend trade shows and seminars designed to educate the audience about the unique nature of the Illinois market for dating services?